Upwards of ten thousand Protestants were killed in Paris alone；in all France four or five times that number.To return thanks to Heaven for these diabolical murders，the Pope and his train actually went in public procession at Rome，and as if this were not shame enough for them，they had a medal struck to commemorate the event.But，however comfortable the wholesale murders were to these high authorities，they had not that soothing effect upon the doll-King.I am happy to state that he never knew a moment's peace afterwards；that he was continually crying out that he saw the Huguenots covered with blood and wounds falling dead before him；
And that he died within a year，shrieking and yelling and raving to that degree，that if all the Popes who had ever lived had been rolled into one，they would not have afforded His guilty Majesty the slightest consolation.
When the terrible news of the massacre arrived in England，it made a powerful impression indeed upon the people.If they began to run a little wild against the Catholics at about this time，this fearful reason for it，coming so soon after the days of bloody Queen Mary，must be remembered in their excuse.The Court was not quite so honest as the people-but perhaps it sometimes is not.
It received the French ambassador，with all the lords and ladies dressed in deep mourning，and keeping a profound silence.
Nevertheless，a proposal of marriage which he had made to Elizabeth only two days before the eve of Saint Bartholomew，on behalf of the Duke of Alen噊n，the French King's brother，a boy of seventeen，still went on；while on the other hand，in her usual crafty way，the Queen secretly supplied the Huguenots with money and weapons.
I must say that for a Queen who made all those fine speeches，of which I have confessed myself to be rather tired，about living and dying a Maiden Queen，Elizabeth was 'going'to be married pretty often.Besides always having some English favourite or other whom she by turns encouraged and swore at and knocked about-for the maiden Queen was very free with her fists-she held this French Duke off and on through several years.When he at last came over to England，the marriage articles were actually drawn up，and it was settled that the wedding should take place in six weeks.The Queen was then so bent upon it，that she prosecuted a poor Puritan named STUBBS，and a poor bookseller named PAGE，for writing and publishing a pamphlet against it.Their right hands were chopped off for this crime；and poor Stubbs-more loyal than I should have been myself under the circumstances-immediately pulled off his hat with his left hand，and cried，'God save the Queen！'Stubbs was cruelly treated；for the marriage never took place after all，though the Queen pledged herself to the Duke with a ring from her own finger.He went away，no better than he came，when the courtship had lasted some ten years altogether；and he died a couple of years afterwards，mourned by Elizabeth，who appears to have been really fond of him.It is not much to her credit，for he was a bad enough member of a bad family.
To return to the Catholics.There arose two orders of priests，who were very busy in England，and who were much dreaded.These were the JESUITS (who were everywhere in all sorts of disguises)，and the SEMINARY PRIESTS.The people had a great horror of the first，because they were known to have taught that murder was lawful if it were done with an object of which they approved；and they had a great horror of the second，because they came to teach the old religion，and to be the successors of 'Queen Mary's priests，'as those yet lingering in England were called，when they should die out.The severest laws were made against them，and were most unmercifully executed.Those who sheltered them in their houses often suffered heavily for what was an act of humanity；and the rack，that cruel torture which tore men's limbs asunder，was constantly kept going.What these unhappy men confessed，or what was ever confessed by any one under that agony，must always be received with great doubt，as it is certain that people have frequently owned to the most absurd and impossible crimes to escape such dreadful suffering.But I cannot doubt it to have been proved by papers，that there were many plots，both among the Jesuits，and with France，and with Scotland，and with Spain，for the destruction of Queen Elizabeth，for the placing of Mary on the throne，and for the revival of the old religion.
If the English people were too ready to believe in plots，there were，as I have said，good reasons for it.When the massacre of Saint Bartholomew was yet fresh in their recollection，a great Protestant Dutch hero，the PRINCE OF ORANGE，was shot by an assassin，who confessed that he had been kept and trained for the purpose in a college of Jesuits.The Dutch，in this surprise and distress，offered to make Elizabeth their sovereign，but she declined the honour，and sent them a small army instead，under the command of the Earl of Leicester，who，although a capital Court favourite，was not much of a general.He did so little in Holland，that his campaign there would probably have been forgotten，but for its occasioning the death of one of the best writers，the best knights，and the best gentlemen，of that or any age.This was SIR PHILIP SIDNEY，who was wounded by a musket ball in the thigh as he mounted a fresh horse，after having had his own killed under him.
